Advice for my 'write off'

R

ROBOTCOWBELL

Member
London
Hi everyone,

Seeking some honest advice from Zed lovers please.

I bought my gorgeous 2004 2.2SE Zed a year ago on this forum and have had an absolute blast driving him daily and cleaning him weekly.... Then sadly 2 weeks ago an idiot white van driver hit me in the rear off side wing. On my birthday to add insult to injury. :headbang:

Honestly minor damage (pictures included below of before and after), we were doing about 15mph!! Insurance have classed it a Cat S and a write off :cry:

They've offered me a fair price and the buy back cost - think pocket change - is hugely tempting. But not sure I have the skills or time to fix him up.

What Would You Do?

I have full damage report and am happy to share all the details over PM in exchange for up front advice.

I can't bear to see him go to auction.....

Thanks in advance for your thoughts. Whatever the outcome I will be back in a Zed soon!!! :driving:

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I am no expert but the rear arch and bumper looks easy. But the broken wheel rim could mean other issues. Can you get another rim the same and have you got suspension issues due to the impact. Also it will only be worth about 75% of a car that’s not got a cat S on it.
 
Zoomer said:
I am no expert but the rear arch and bumper looks easy. But the broken wheel rim could mean other issues. Can you get another rim the same and have you got suspension issues due to the impact. Also it will only be worth about 75% of a car that’s not got a cat S on it.
Click to expand...

Don’t think the rim is broken, just rub marks. I’d be buy8ng that back if looking to keep for some time. Bolt on wing and a bit of paint.
 
That's a real shame OP - I don't like seeing damaged Z4s. :cry:

My nephew had an altercation with a Tesco van last year, and his insurers called it a Cat S without even getting it inspected! They based their decision on his phone photos. :headbang:

Still he took their offer and kept the car as he didn't want anything else, and Sport model manual E46 Tourings with a petrol straight 6 aren't easy to find! The only damage was to the bonnet and nearside front wing. He got a used bonnet off Ebay and a pair of new wings (other side was rusty) then had the front end painted which got rid of all the stone-chips on the front bumper all within what he got paid!

I told him it was never a Cat S, but he couldn't persuade them to make it a Cat N. Insurers seem to be classifying everything as Cat S now.

Anyway, I believe Z4 rear wings are bolted on, and there are 2 cars being broken on here so you might be able to get it repaired for sensible money - especially if you can do any of it yourself.

Hope you get a good outcome. :thumbsup:
 
Not sure how that ended up a cat s instead of a cat n as the damage looks non structural to me. Although Mr tidys post above might explain that. Unless there's damage to the trailing arm and its mount or the driveshafts diff etc we can't see. Assuming there isn't I'd be looking to buy back and keep it.
 
Buy it back, replace the wing and get a smart repair on the bumper, then get the alloy refurbished. Job done for probably less than £500.
 
Accept it will be potentially worthless, buy it back, fix it, enjoy it! Done this with my Mazda but I intend keeping it until it dies :)
 
Yep; buy it and have it repaired. If you've got time have a go at the rear wing yourself if you can find a spare which is colour matched so no painting is required.

You have invested time and cash in it - you know the car and if you are going to keep it a while longer then the depreciation because of the category is off set by the buy back and lack of surprise jobs a new car can bring with it. In any event in twenty years time when these are a sort after classic nobody will give a dam about a body repair in 2019 they will just want to own one - how badly do you think a body dent in the 90's is affecting the price of an 80's restored 911 now?
 
As all have said- easy fix and cheap as well. But back and enjoy your car rather than sending a beautiful z off to a breakers yard!
 
Thank you all for your replies - I think I'll be buying him back and bringing him back to former glory :D :driving: :thumbsup:
Time to go wing shopping!!
 
Hey OP, exact same thing happened to me last year - a recovery truck changed lanes without looking and crushed my rear wing, ins wrote it off as uneconomical repair but I bought the car back from them. Easily repairable and there are guides on the forum. You just have to spend some time in the boot upside down getting that last bolt off - but apart from that it's easy. I got my wing from a salvage yard on ebay for around £80 - it was already in my car's colour so got lucky.

There is an outfit on ebay breaking a titan silver Z4 - just search "z4 breaking" and you'll find it. I happened to email them about a few parts yesterday and they mentioned they still have the passenger rear wing, so give them an e-mail if you're after it - they didn't mention price yet. PM me if you're interested and I'll pass on the ebay username.
 
parabolica said:
Truman is right; Cat S is means it has sustained structural damage and needs re-registering.

OP are you sure it isn't a Class N? Class N is non-structural/cosmetic. My damage was similar and I was class N, which meant I could simply replace panels and carry on.

ETA for clarification between S & N: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/ ... cat-s-cars
Click to expand...

No need for an inspection though.

DVLA just say the car needs to be re-registered. As in send your V5 to your insurer then apply for a duplicate one from DVLA - which will presumably record the Cat S status.

Quick link here:- https://www.gov.uk/scrapped-and-written-off-vehicles/insurance-writeoffs
 
Quote from U-Switch:-
Category C, D, N and S cars should be safe to drive again once they have been professionally repaired. Once a car has been repaired it will need to be re-registered and pass an MOT to ensure it is safe to drive. You should check with the seller whether this has already been done or if they are selling as a fixer-upper.
 
parabolica said:
Truman is right; Cat S is means it has sustained structural damage and needs re-registering.

OP are you sure it isn't a Class N? Class N is non-structural/cosmetic. My damage was similar and I was class N, which meant I could simply replace panels and carry on.

ETA for clarification between S & N: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-n...ories-explained-what-are-cat-n-and-cat-s-cars
Click to expand...

I'm sure, cannot believe it but based on a couple of photos that is what they've said, outraged doesn't come close as damage is clearly minor and isolated to the wing, the damage report is unbelievable!!! Thanks all for your advice.
 
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